And charles bram



, (No Model.)

H. R. DENIS 8v 0. BRAMBERG.

METALLIC ENVELOP SEAL.

No. 564,781. Patented July 28, 1896.

? Mew UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 4

HARRY R. DENIS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, AND CHARLES BRAM- BERG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO HENRY DENIS, OF NEW' ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

M ETALLIC ENVELO P-SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,781, dated. July 28, 1896.

Application filed October 4, 1895. Serial No. 564,619. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: ceptible of considerable modification, but it Be it known that we, HARRY R. DENIS, of will be shown herein in the simplest form in New Orleans, Louisiana, and CHARLES BRAM- which we have contemplated applying it. BERG, of Brooklyn, New York, have invented The two parts obviously cannot be forced new and useful Improvements in Metallic apart without completely rupturing the seal, 55

Envelop-Seals,which are fully set forth in the and as the engaging devices, by which the following specification. parts are connected, are absolutely inacces- The object of this invention is to furnish sible, the objects of the invention are effecmeans for securely fastening envelops, so that tually secured. The tongue is preferably sethey cannot be opened and their contents cured to the flap by means of an eyelet as 6: tampered with without cutting the paper or commonly used in paper-fasteners; but if it mutilating the seal. The essentials of such be desired to sell the'seals separately from a device are that itshould be very cheap and the envelope and to render the use of a die easy to make, so as not to add materially to unnecessary for attaching them to the en- I 5 the cost of the envelop; that it should be velop this element may be provided with 5 small and easy of application, requiring no flexible metallic prongs, as heretofore The 1 tools or implements on the part of the user, latter plan will serve Well for envelops used and above all that it should offer absolute sein ordinary correspondence. The former is curity against tampering. It has been found preferred for envelops containing valuable 2o exceedingly difficult to combine all these papers, where the utmost security is desired. 70 requisite properties in one structure, but the In the accompanying drawings, which form device herein described is believed to fulfil part of this specification, Figure 1 represents all the desired conditions. the seal applied to an envelop. Fig. 2 is a Heretofore an envelop-seal has been delongitudinal section on an enlarged scale.

vised consisting of two disks, one fastened to Fig. 3 is a rear view showing the two parts 75 the body and the other to the flap of the enconnected. Fig. at is a similar view showing velop. The latter element carried abulbous the parts disconnected. Fig. 5 is an edge stud which was designed to be forced into view, and Fig. 6 an end view, of the stationand permanently held by an aperture in the ary element.

other disk, the latter being of spring-metal, The male element of the seal consists of 80 so as to clasp the neck of the stud. While the tongue a, projecting from the eyelet I). this device measurably fulfilled the objects The latter is provided with the flange b, Fig. in view, it has been found possible by care- 5, which is upset in the usual way when the and ingenuity to pry the stud out of its clasp device is attached to the flap A of an envelop.

without mutilating the seal or envelop. This The tongue at has at its end a hook, projec- 8 5 is possible with two disks lying one on the tion, or shoulder a. The other element, other, presenting two metal pieces between which is attached to the body B of the enwhich an instrument can be inserted to force velop, is composed of an upper plate a and a the elements apart. lower plate (1, between which is formed a 40 According to the present invention the relpocket 0, having its entrance at the side of 0 atively-movable element, attached to the flap the element. This pocket should preferably of the envelop, is fastened to the stationary correspond in shape with the tongue a and element by being thrust into a thin space be of such size that the latter will fill it, leavformed between two plates of the latter. The ing no room for the insertion of any instrutongue on the movable or male element has inent. 5 a hook, shoulder, or projection which, when The lower plate d is partly cut away, as at the tongue is fully inserted, is caught by a e, and a lip cl is formed by two parallel cuts. spring plate or catch concealed and rendered This lip constitutes a spring catch or detent inaccessible by the top plate of the stationfor engagement with the hook a, and being ary element. This part of the device issusof metal is slightly resilient. 10o

Plate 0 is formed at c with an incline or cam surface. As the tongue to is inserted in the pocket its end encounters this surface, forcing it downward, projection or hook a depressing spring-lip d until the former reaches the end of the lip, when the latter springs back to its normal position, locking the tongue in place. From examination of Fig. 1 it will be seen that this attachment is permanent, and that the envelop can only be opened either by breaking the seal or tearing the paper. In the form shown in the drawings the prongs f, by which this element of the seal is attached to the envelop, are in one piece with the upper disk 0. Consequently the two disks cannot be pried apart or separated without tearing the paper.

Details of construction may obviously be varied, the device as described and as shown in thedrawings being exhibited to illustrate the simplest and most eflicient manner now known to us of applying the principle of the invention.

Having thus particularly described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination with the tongue havin g means for attaching it to the flap of an envelop, and provided with a hook, of a complementary device having means for attachment to the body of an envelop, and provided with a laterally-open pocket, the dimensions of said pocket being such that the tongue when inserted will fill it and in which is a concealed spring-catch for engaging and locking the hook on said tongue, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the tongue having on one end a hook and on the other means for attaching it to an envelop, of a complementary element composed of two plates,

forming between them a pocket opening laterally, the concealed plate being provided with a spring lip or catch for engagement of said hook, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the tongue having a hook on its end, of the complementary element composed of two plates forming between thein a pocket, the concealed plate being cut as specified to form a lip or catch,

and the outer plate being provided with an.

inclined surface at the end of the pocket, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with the tongue provided with a hook or projection, of the com plementary element composed of two plates forming between them a pocket and provided with a catch in said pocket for engaging said hook or projection, the outer plate having integrally-formed fastening devices for securing the element to an envelop, substantially as described.

5. An envelop-fastener comprisingatongue having means for fastening it to the envelop, said tongue being provided on its end with a hook, a complementary element comprising two disks or plates fastened together and forming between them a pocket in which the tongue closely fits, the concealed plate being provided with a spring portion which yields to admit the hook and springs back to'catch it, and the outer plate having an inclined surface at the end of the pocket, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY R. DENIS. CHARLES BRAMBERG. Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, ROBERT B. SEVVARD. 

